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Truthful Change
Karl Blake's good at a lot of things: killing bad guys, rescuing hostages...and looting priceless diamonds, but when a bullet ends his career as a mercenary he discovers that he's really bad at living in a huge house with nothing to do. A shy, oddly sexy gardener with an unexpected liking for rough sex seems just what the doctor ordered for his boredom. But Adam's got secrets that make Karl's seem mundane, and if the two of them are going to find a future together, there's a lot more to deal with than dandelions in the lawn.
With the past and the present combining to push them apart, betrayal, hurt, and mistrust around every corner, the two of them need to focus less on labels and more on what they are to each other.
Because a rose by any other name...
Publisher's Note: This book contains explicit sexual content, graphic language, and situations some readers may find objectionable: Domination/submission, male/male sexual practices.
With the past and the present combining to push them apart, betrayal, hurt, and mistrust around every corner, the two of them need to focus less on labels and more on what they are to each other.
Because a rose by any other name...
Publisher's Note: This book contains explicit sexual content, graphic language, and situations some readers may find objectionable: Domination/submission, male/male sexual practices.
194 pages, Kindle Edition
First published June 1, 2010
10 people are currently reading
627 people want to read
About the author
Jane Davitt
64 books479 followersRetired from pro writing, pretty much. Any books where the rights are with me I've put up at A03, along with all my fic, which I'm still writing.
[Free reads and my fanfic are here:
Jane Davitt at AO3]
Thank you to all who read my books. It meant a lot.
[Free reads and my fanfic are here:
Jane Davitt at AO3]
Thank you to all who read my books. It meant a lot.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 97 reviews
January 25, 2021
⋰⋱⋰⋱⋰⋱*Didn't Connect*⋰⋱⋰⋱⋰⋱
The book centers around Karl Blake (37), an early retired mercenary and Aiden ‘Adam Marshall (22)’ Russell (31), a gay FBI agent being undercover as the new landscaper for Karl. Karl is bored and is looking for something to occupy his mind, and Adam seems like a good idea for passing time. What he doesn't know is that the nervous, somewhat shy kid is actually a fed looking for information. Overall, the concept is a good idea, but I just didn't connect with the story and most importantly, the characters. I think my main problem was the writing. To put it bluntly, it didn't work for me; it was off putting. Hell, I didn't even feel a slight arousal to the sex scenes, and I like rough sex in my books so that should say something in itself. That said, I have to be nice and say that it probably did have some potential. But for me, this was a bust. Nothing happened; the main focus was on sex. I didn't even feel the apparent chemistry between the two characters. So yeah, this book was not for me.
Quick basic facts:
Genre: - (Adult) Contemporary
Series: - Standalone.
Love triangle? -
Cheating? -
HEA? -
Favorite character? - Karl Blake.
Would I read more by this author/or of series? - Unsure.
Would I recommend this book/series? - Not really.
Will I read this again in the future? - No.
Rating - 2 stars.
November 24, 2012
Duplicity and Dandelions.
Duplicitous Dandelions.
I swear looking at this book's cover makes me smirk even harder. Love it.
Duplicity and Dandelions, you're wondering(WTF)?
This is my second title for "Truthful Change". It's unofficial but it fits.
Aiden is a gay FBI agent, living with his doctor boyfriend, Scott. With Aiden out working undercover a lot and Scott being well a doctor, these two are on different schedules. It seems like different wavelenengths really. Scott's the boring vanilla in Aiden's wishful cinnamon-ginger spice sex life.
Not.
Good.
So when the FBI assigns 31 year old Aiden to be undercover as being bait as 22 year old, gay virgin and gardener Adam to a well known gay ex-mercenary, Karl, what could go wrong?
Not a lot in my book. All of the wrongs were oh so right!
When Aiden and Karl are together, they are everything but vanilla.
(And if you're not a fan of 'cheating' in romance, don't read this story unless your prepared for some yummy steamy action.)
Karl? Hubba hubba.(I'd like one of him please)
Karl is one sexy bad-ass mofo, anal retentive (& an asshole--at times says me and Aiden) ex-mercenary. He's forced into an early retirement and takes out his frustrations on his gardener, Adam who seems to keep missing pulling out all of those dandelions.
These two are like gasoline and sparks. Just made for each other. When Karl bites (Did I mention he's a biter? God loves a biter and so do I!) Adam when 'introducing' him into the joys of gay sex? Great.
And then around 50% when Karl finds out about Adam being Aiden? They turned up their fire from hot-hot-high to scorching.
Gimme a minute.
I loved the story. Loved the duplicity all around. (Aiden in my book was great. And he redeems himself if you need to be sold. How? Read this book.) The way the authors intro Aiden, then we are slammed into Adam - his thoughts and that acting like a blushing newbie to gay sex? LOVED it. And Karl and Aiden/Adam...they were just great together.
Oh and not only is there hot man action, there's action (car chases, bad guys, guns a-shooting, etc.) too. A little something for everyone. I'd totally recommend to M/M Romance lovers, for sure.
Excuse me while I resonate on this sexy, man-on-man tale...
(I'm purring on the inside, oh the duplicity of it all...)
Duplicitous Dandelions.
I swear looking at this book's cover makes me smirk even harder. Love it.
Duplicity and Dandelions, you're wondering(WTF)?
This is my second title for "Truthful Change". It's unofficial but it fits.
Aiden is a gay FBI agent, living with his doctor boyfriend, Scott. With Aiden out working undercover a lot and Scott being well a doctor, these two are on different schedules. It seems like different wavelenengths really. Scott's the boring vanilla in Aiden's wishful cinnamon-ginger spice sex life.
Not.
Good.
So when the FBI assigns 31 year old Aiden to be undercover as being bait as 22 year old, gay virgin and gardener Adam to a well known gay ex-mercenary, Karl, what could go wrong?
Not a lot in my book. All of the wrongs were oh so right!
When Aiden and Karl are together, they are everything but vanilla.
(And if you're not a fan of 'cheating' in romance, don't read this story unless your prepared for some yummy steamy action.)
Karl? Hubba hubba.(I'd like one of him please)
Karl is one sexy bad-ass mofo, anal retentive (& an asshole--at times says me and Aiden) ex-mercenary. He's forced into an early retirement and takes out his frustrations on his gardener, Adam who seems to keep missing pulling out all of those dandelions.
These two are like gasoline and sparks. Just made for each other. When Karl bites (Did I mention he's a biter? God loves a biter and so do I!) Adam when 'introducing' him into the joys of gay sex? Great.
And then around 50% when Karl finds out about Adam being Aiden? They turned up their fire from hot-hot-high to scorching.
Gimme a minute.
I loved the story. Loved the duplicity all around. (Aiden in my book was great. And he redeems himself if you need to be sold. How? Read this book.) The way the authors intro Aiden, then we are slammed into Adam - his thoughts and that acting like a blushing newbie to gay sex? LOVED it. And Karl and Aiden/Adam...they were just great together.
Oh and not only is there hot man action, there's action (car chases, bad guys, guns a-shooting, etc.) too. A little something for everyone. I'd totally recommend to M/M Romance lovers, for sure.
Excuse me while I resonate on this sexy, man-on-man tale...
(I'm purring on the inside, oh the duplicity of it all...)
June 27, 2019
This didn't wow me. It's what I would call "thriller lite," and features an involuntarily-retired mercenary and the FBI agent assigned to investigate him.
I loved Karl, the ex-merc. Whatever the circumstances, he was honest -- with himself as well as with others. To never evade the truth, never hide from it -- THAT is fearlessness, THAT is power. You don't encounter characters like that in fiction very often. Of course, you don't encounter them in real life very often either. Either way, I love 'em wherever I find 'em.
Aiden didn't make as powerful an impression on me. Basically he just came across as "young," although in reality he's only 5 or so years younger than Karl. I found them credible as a couple. There are numerous sex scenes, which I would normally see as a plus, but their D/s dynamic -- with a generous helping of rough sex -- is just not my thing. And every time I see the word "fisting," I die a little inside.
The last chunk of the story depends on action scenes, but I didn't find them convincing. And too many important things were resolved in ways that were just a little too pat, a little too tidy -- from the resolution of -- to the villain's .
Which reminds me... Thrillers often require a tolerance for the outlandish, and I'm usually fine with that. It's all part of the fun. But I'm supposed to believe that Karl has traveled the world and has no family or geographical ties -- yet when he retires, with the entire world to choose from, he settles in... Plano, Texas? Oh, come on! I can only suspend disbelief so far. ;)
I loved Karl, the ex-merc. Whatever the circumstances, he was honest -- with himself as well as with others. To never evade the truth, never hide from it -- THAT is fearlessness, THAT is power. You don't encounter characters like that in fiction very often. Of course, you don't encounter them in real life very often either. Either way, I love 'em wherever I find 'em.
Aiden didn't make as powerful an impression on me. Basically he just came across as "young," although in reality he's only 5 or so years younger than Karl. I found them credible as a couple. There are numerous sex scenes, which I would normally see as a plus, but their D/s dynamic -- with a generous helping of rough sex -- is just not my thing. And every time I see the word "fisting," I die a little inside.
The last chunk of the story depends on action scenes, but I didn't find them convincing. And too many important things were resolved in ways that were just a little too pat, a little too tidy -- from the resolution of -- to the villain's .
Which reminds me... Thrillers often require a tolerance for the outlandish, and I'm usually fine with that. It's all part of the fun. But I'm supposed to believe that Karl has traveled the world and has no family or geographical ties -- yet when he retires, with the entire world to choose from, he settles in... Plano, Texas? Oh, come on! I can only suspend disbelief so far. ;)
October 25, 2012
First half 4 stars. Second half 1 star. Blergh.
All that beautiful conflict: Relationship rut! Deception! Cheating! Lies! Unwelcome needs! In over your head! Attracted to a BAMF! All that beautiful conflict goes poof! in a big pink sparkly cloud of no-one-gets-hurt-breakups, badasses-turned-into-considerate-saps, auntie-sophie-we-wuv-yous, only-the-bad-guy-gets-hurt-in-the-car-chases, i-was-going-to-give-up-my-job-anyways-so-now-we-can-be-togethers and a fucking FBI agent who turns into a 'brat'.
Lord, save me from the motherfucking goddamn 'brats' in m/m....
All that beautiful conflict: Relationship rut! Deception! Cheating! Lies! Unwelcome needs! In over your head! Attracted to a BAMF! All that beautiful conflict goes poof! in a big pink sparkly cloud of no-one-gets-hurt-breakups, badasses-turned-into-considerate-saps, auntie-sophie-we-wuv-yous, only-the-bad-guy-gets-hurt-in-the-car-chases, i-was-going-to-give-up-my-job-anyways-so-now-we-can-be-togethers and a fucking FBI agent who turns into a 'brat'.
Lord, save me from the motherfucking goddamn 'brats' in m/m....
April 28, 2015
At the urging of a friend, I gave this book a try (Thank you, Mostly Delores, for the rec!) in the wee hours of the morning today.
At first, I thought I didn't like it. There was a lot of sex, sure, and I like that in a book because I'm a pervert like that, but I wasn't really keen on the circumstances in which all this hot sex was happening. So, my curiosity was then piqued. I wanted to know how the authors were going to make me believe in an HEA after all that side-eye I gave them early in the book.
Well, by writing a damn good story, that's how.
Two niggles: pacing at the plot climax was a little slow. Just a little. And there was a certain relationship resolution that felt a little Deus Ex Machina to me.
A solid four star read, would definitely recommend! (especially to people who, like me, prefer their flawed characters to have actual character flaws in addition to their scars)
At first, I thought I didn't like it. There was a lot of sex, sure, and I like that in a book because I'm a pervert like that, but I wasn't really keen on the circumstances in which all this hot sex was happening. So, my curiosity was then piqued. I wanted to know how the authors were going to make me believe in an HEA after all that side-eye I gave them early in the book.
Well, by writing a damn good story, that's how.
Two niggles: pacing at the plot climax was a little slow. Just a little. And there was a certain relationship resolution that felt a little Deus Ex Machina to me.
A solid four star read, would definitely recommend! (especially to people who, like me, prefer their flawed characters to have actual character flaws in addition to their scars)
November 22, 2010
Capably written. Liked the characters and their conflict (though I felt the latter was under-realized). Found the plot entertaining but for me the story was overwhelmed by the sex. I liked the dynamic very much -- the guy used to being in control finds himself submissive to another -- I thought the sex was well-written and perfectly hot, but it was just too much. I skimmed the last third of the book. Still, I realize that what became tedious for me is probably a major selling point for most.
October 26, 2018
My Favorite Book By These Two Amazing Authors - FREE right now on AO3
https://archiveofourown.org/works/164...
Whoa! This one was too many kinds of perfect to count! The characters, they were just amazing - the way Karl evolves and how everything is revealed was fantastic. Honestly, I love everything I've read by this writing duo, but this one surpasses them all - it was just excellent.
https://archiveofourown.org/works/164...
Whoa! This one was too many kinds of perfect to count! The characters, they were just amazing - the way Karl evolves and how everything is revealed was fantastic. Honestly, I love everything I've read by this writing duo, but this one surpasses them all - it was just excellent.
July 2, 2010
GAH! After the first chapter I had to reread the book blurb to ensure I was reading the right book. I frecking loved the backstory, the suspense and action, it reads like John Woo directed smexin with a lil D/s thrown in ='s SWEET! Awesome read.
June 19, 2010
I finished this a couple of weeks ago and got distracted away from GR. But here's my experience with this book after being away for a while:
I was very enthusiastic initially, in fact, I was really really loving this book all the way up until about the last 20%. And then, something seemed to fall apart with the loss of "Adam."
At the end, I was simply trying to figure out what happened to turn this book from a 5+ Must Read into just Above Average for me. I see that it began to occur in the office when they were hiding out. The characters lost their footing. The majority of this book "showed" me. The end simply "told" me about this new dynamic to their relationship and tried to explain everything to justify it. I feel something was missed in the merging of the two sides of the character into one. He no longer felt compelling or real to me but interestingly, neither did Karl. Too much of Karl's dominant alluring sexiness also disappeared with Adam.
If it were up to me, I'd say throw out the last 20% and rewrite it. Not necessarily change where the story was going--- but do it over, do it better, do it more in keeping with the dynamics that were initially introduced; with that same intensity, with the same excitement and dedication you had initially. When "Adam" became Aiden, something was lost and I just don't think it had to be that way.
I was very enthusiastic initially, in fact, I was really really loving this book all the way up until about the last 20%. And then, something seemed to fall apart with the loss of "Adam."
At the end, I was simply trying to figure out what happened to turn this book from a 5+ Must Read into just Above Average for me. I see that it began to occur in the office when they were hiding out. The characters lost their footing. The majority of this book "showed" me. The end simply "told" me about this new dynamic to their relationship and tried to explain everything to justify it. I feel something was missed in the merging of the two sides of the character into one. He no longer felt compelling or real to me but interestingly, neither did Karl. Too much of Karl's dominant alluring sexiness also disappeared with Adam.
If it were up to me, I'd say throw out the last 20% and rewrite it. Not necessarily change where the story was going--- but do it over, do it better, do it more in keeping with the dynamics that were initially introduced; with that same intensity, with the same excitement and dedication you had initially. When "Adam" became Aiden, something was lost and I just don't think it had to be that way.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 14, 2012
Truthful Change was a marvy read with a gardening boy, ex military hard bodies and some rough, dirty, garden shed sex. I liked it a great deal, as one can imagine!
I think what these two authors do well is the power dynamic between their characters. How they portray their more submissive boys, like Aiden really resonates. He’s ballsy, clever and incredibly in control of himself, but you get the feeling that despite being in a relationship that there’s a missing something in his life. I also like that submissive doesn’t somehow mean less. This pisses me off in books that have a BDSM flavor, and while this novel was not hard core, there is a definite whiff of D/s. Karl was such a great character, pretty blokey, stoic and knows what he wants. He also has a predilection for leaving bite marks that I appreciated hugely. Nom.
Often we talk about world building in relation to a fantasy or sci fi novel, but I think this is equally important in a contemporary novel. I liked how most of the scenes are set either within Karl’s house, the garden or Aiden/Adams apartments and their stake out. They all felt very contained and caused the tension to ratchet up a few levels due to their close confines. It meant that most of the interactions were also based around the two characters and their developing intimacy, rather than extraneous events and people. One element of the book that did surprise me was the issue of fidelity between Aiden and his lover Scott. Normally this can be a deal breaker for me, but the authors made it work.
Truthful Change is a seriously sexy and rather marvelous read. Jane Davitt and Alexa Snow do not disappoint and I highly recommend this fab book. If you enjoy it, then do check out Bound and Determined. If you have a fetish for gardening boys (did I read something someone said about owning your fetish???) then do read In and Out but L.B. Gregg. nom.
http://sharrow.wordpress.com/2010/06/...
I think what these two authors do well is the power dynamic between their characters. How they portray their more submissive boys, like Aiden really resonates. He’s ballsy, clever and incredibly in control of himself, but you get the feeling that despite being in a relationship that there’s a missing something in his life. I also like that submissive doesn’t somehow mean less. This pisses me off in books that have a BDSM flavor, and while this novel was not hard core, there is a definite whiff of D/s. Karl was such a great character, pretty blokey, stoic and knows what he wants. He also has a predilection for leaving bite marks that I appreciated hugely. Nom.
Often we talk about world building in relation to a fantasy or sci fi novel, but I think this is equally important in a contemporary novel. I liked how most of the scenes are set either within Karl’s house, the garden or Aiden/Adams apartments and their stake out. They all felt very contained and caused the tension to ratchet up a few levels due to their close confines. It meant that most of the interactions were also based around the two characters and their developing intimacy, rather than extraneous events and people. One element of the book that did surprise me was the issue of fidelity between Aiden and his lover Scott. Normally this can be a deal breaker for me, but the authors made it work.
Truthful Change is a seriously sexy and rather marvelous read. Jane Davitt and Alexa Snow do not disappoint and I highly recommend this fab book. If you enjoy it, then do check out Bound and Determined. If you have a fetish for gardening boys (did I read something someone said about owning your fetish???) then do read In and Out but L.B. Gregg. nom.
http://sharrow.wordpress.com/2010/06/...
April 12, 2014
I have to spoiler a lot of this, because there's a plot twist at 15% that really is the basis for the whole story...
Karl thought he was ready to settle down on his big new estate, after an injury ended his mercenary career, and live the good life. But he misses the action, worries about his men out there under a new command, and really likes the young man he sees bending over the dandelions in his yard. At first he thinks simple sex with young Adam might be distraction enough. But then it gets complicated...
This was a well-written action story, with a real plot and complex characters. No one in this story is completely without flaws, and the chemistry between the leads is very well done. I did think it was a little bit of a plot cop-out Still an enjoyable read, with charismatic MCs and a D/s relationship that was hot and balanced. There is a strong female character, which is always a plus.
Karl thought he was ready to settle down on his big new estate, after an injury ended his mercenary career, and live the good life. But he misses the action, worries about his men out there under a new command, and really likes the young man he sees bending over the dandelions in his yard. At first he thinks simple sex with young Adam might be distraction enough. But then it gets complicated...
This was a well-written action story, with a real plot and complex characters. No one in this story is completely without flaws, and the chemistry between the leads is very well done. I did think it was a little bit of a plot cop-out Still an enjoyable read, with charismatic MCs and a D/s relationship that was hot and balanced. There is a strong female character, which is always a plus.
April 27, 2013
Overall, I really enjoyed this one. I thought it was a good romantic suspense novel with sympathetic characters and a nice heavy focus on the relationship and its development.
I'm going to put most of this behind a spoiler tag because a big conflict happens early on in the book, but isn't mentioned in the official blurb. I talk about it in my review throughout, so thus, spoiler warnings.
I'm going to put most of this behind a spoiler tag because a big conflict happens early on in the book, but isn't mentioned in the official blurb. I talk about it in my review throughout, so thus, spoiler warnings.
June 3, 2010
Loved these two very hot characters. (A wounded ex-mercenary and an FBI agent)
Spoilers -----
Aiden isn't getting what he needs from his relationship with Scott. When Aiden goes undercover (he's FBI) as Adam, a gardener at Karl's estate, he has sex with Karl - the rough kind he loves. The infidelity aspect might bother some readers if that's a strong dislike. I didn't mind it, and the authors went out of their way to remind the reader that Aiden and Scott's relationship was nearing the end. There was angst on Aiden's part, but he was finally getting what he needed.
The story becomes more action-oriented after Karl discovers the truth. Karl helps the FBI set up a sting to catch the bad guy who bought his mercenary company. Of course it ends in chaos. All's well that ends well.
Added bonus: When Aiden's undercover, he has to pretend he's virginal when it comes to man-on-man sex, so you get that weak/strong relationship with Karl. After Aiden is caught, you get them together as two strong men, with one who loves to be dominant and one who loves to be dominated. Mmm..
Spoilers -----
Aiden isn't getting what he needs from his relationship with Scott. When Aiden goes undercover (he's FBI) as Adam, a gardener at Karl's estate, he has sex with Karl - the rough kind he loves. The infidelity aspect might bother some readers if that's a strong dislike. I didn't mind it, and the authors went out of their way to remind the reader that Aiden and Scott's relationship was nearing the end. There was angst on Aiden's part, but he was finally getting what he needed.
The story becomes more action-oriented after Karl discovers the truth. Karl helps the FBI set up a sting to catch the bad guy who bought his mercenary company. Of course it ends in chaos. All's well that ends well.
Added bonus: When Aiden's undercover, he has to pretend he's virginal when it comes to man-on-man sex, so you get that weak/strong relationship with Karl. After Aiden is caught, you get them together as two strong men, with one who loves to be dominant and one who loves to be dominated. Mmm..
June 4, 2017
I've read quite a few books in this genre featuring characters with similar secrets. Usually those storylines bore me, annoying me, and or insult me. So I'm thrilled to say Truthful Change worked. I can't figure out specifically why, but it could be Davitt & Snow were confident in their story, didn't overreach and took their time developing the story. The coupling was well written and didn't get boring. The action scenes were easy to follow and had an invigorating flow. Were there flaws in the story? sure. Did they take away from my enjoyment, nope
June 10, 2010
There aren't many of these longer books (it came out to 402 pages on Medium setting in my Sony e-reader) and I started on Truthful Change with the anticipation of one opening a gift-wrapped box.
Overall, it's a good, solid FBI/undercover story and Karl, the ex-PMC chief, is everything that I look for in my romance heroes. Unfortunately, I can't say the same for Aiden, the FBI agent who goes undercover as Adam, Karl's gardener.
I am truly puzzled as to why the authors chose to introduce their protag in such a way - as a cheater who, for the next 200 pages (!!!) cheats on Scott, his live-in partner. The Prologue doesn't even show anything seriously wrong with their relationship and when the story begins, Aiden/Adam is soon sexually involved with Karl. Their scenes are hot but the spectre of Scott is constantly hanging over Aiden. If the authors had told or shown me (even better) that Aiden's relationship with Scott was unravelling and coming to an end, the book would have been a solid 5 stars. But instead, Aiden, when he's thinking about Scott (which is A LOT, believe me), his thoughts don't tell me the relationship is already on its last legs. The opposite, instead. There's a scene early on in the story (Pg 60 of my reader) where Aiden has just come home from getting his ass "fucked raw" by Karl and as he enters the house he shares with Scott, he's thinking: "They’d talked about getting married—not because either of them was eager for a wedding, really, but more as a hypothetical exercise, a someday-when-things-in-this-country-change sort of discussion. For now, though, Aiden was pretty happy with things the way they were, even if his paycheck didn’t match up to Scott’s by a long way."
Then there's the scenes with Scott where I'm having to sit through Aiden's lying, the evasive tactics, the hiding...and I keep asking myself 'why'. Why am I being made to work so hard to accept Aiden as a protagonist in my romantic fiction? Why do I have to make excuses for him, find reasons to justify his infidelity against a man who's only fault, it appears, is that he's a doctor and he doesn't have a penchant for rough sex.
There's cheating and there's cheating in romantic fiction. I won't go into the ins and outs of that here but suffice to say, the kind of cheating in Truthful Change portrays Aiden in a very poor light. Which is a pity because it was so easy to avoid - just have him and Scott break up in the Prologue. Even when I told myself to forget Aiden has a partner who loves him, the authors do not let me forget. Scott follows Aiden everywhere in his guilty conscience.
By the time I reached the part where Scott discovers Aiden has been cheating on him, it's the second half of the book and this, at page 202 pages, is already longer than most books. Later on when I discover Scott himself has been seeing someone else, it's a case of too little, too late. I'd expended so much energy trying to get over Aiden's cheating that I no longer cared about him.
The saving grace in Truthful Change is Karl and the four stars are all for him. He's hot, sexy and I was able to carry on reading this book because of him.
The story picks up in the second half and Scott is history. Whew. By then I am well and truly pissed off, of course, because I enjoyed this second half very, very much. As I turned off my reader, I could not help wondering why the authors made Aiden look like the guy that gets kicked out of the romance protagonist's life instead of the protag who goes on to find his true love. This is, after all, romantic fiction I'm reading, isn't it? It did mar the story substantially for me. I'm now left with such a bad taste in my mouth and hoping the book I'm just about to begin (Cameron Dane's Devlin & Garrick) will not feature ANY cheating of ANY kind.
Alright, so this was more of a rant than a review but if you haven't read Truthful Change yet, don't be put off by my comments here. It's a good story and both protags are well fleshed-out. If you hate cheaters, the story is still worth reading and the sex between Karl and The Cheater is hot, even though it's still pretty vanilla despite The Cheater's claim of needing rough sex.
Overall, it's a good, solid FBI/undercover story and Karl, the ex-PMC chief, is everything that I look for in my romance heroes. Unfortunately, I can't say the same for Aiden, the FBI agent who goes undercover as Adam, Karl's gardener.
I am truly puzzled as to why the authors chose to introduce their protag in such a way - as a cheater who, for the next 200 pages (!!!) cheats on Scott, his live-in partner. The Prologue doesn't even show anything seriously wrong with their relationship and when the story begins, Aiden/Adam is soon sexually involved with Karl. Their scenes are hot but the spectre of Scott is constantly hanging over Aiden. If the authors had told or shown me (even better) that Aiden's relationship with Scott was unravelling and coming to an end, the book would have been a solid 5 stars. But instead, Aiden, when he's thinking about Scott (which is A LOT, believe me), his thoughts don't tell me the relationship is already on its last legs. The opposite, instead. There's a scene early on in the story (Pg 60 of my reader) where Aiden has just come home from getting his ass "fucked raw" by Karl and as he enters the house he shares with Scott, he's thinking: "They’d talked about getting married—not because either of them was eager for a wedding, really, but more as a hypothetical exercise, a someday-when-things-in-this-country-change sort of discussion. For now, though, Aiden was pretty happy with things the way they were, even if his paycheck didn’t match up to Scott’s by a long way."
Then there's the scenes with Scott where I'm having to sit through Aiden's lying, the evasive tactics, the hiding...and I keep asking myself 'why'. Why am I being made to work so hard to accept Aiden as a protagonist in my romantic fiction? Why do I have to make excuses for him, find reasons to justify his infidelity against a man who's only fault, it appears, is that he's a doctor and he doesn't have a penchant for rough sex.
There's cheating and there's cheating in romantic fiction. I won't go into the ins and outs of that here but suffice to say, the kind of cheating in Truthful Change portrays Aiden in a very poor light. Which is a pity because it was so easy to avoid - just have him and Scott break up in the Prologue. Even when I told myself to forget Aiden has a partner who loves him, the authors do not let me forget. Scott follows Aiden everywhere in his guilty conscience.
By the time I reached the part where Scott discovers Aiden has been cheating on him, it's the second half of the book and this, at page 202 pages, is already longer than most books. Later on when I discover Scott himself has been seeing someone else, it's a case of too little, too late. I'd expended so much energy trying to get over Aiden's cheating that I no longer cared about him.
The saving grace in Truthful Change is Karl and the four stars are all for him. He's hot, sexy and I was able to carry on reading this book because of him.
The story picks up in the second half and Scott is history. Whew. By then I am well and truly pissed off, of course, because I enjoyed this second half very, very much. As I turned off my reader, I could not help wondering why the authors made Aiden look like the guy that gets kicked out of the romance protagonist's life instead of the protag who goes on to find his true love. This is, after all, romantic fiction I'm reading, isn't it? It did mar the story substantially for me. I'm now left with such a bad taste in my mouth and hoping the book I'm just about to begin (Cameron Dane's Devlin & Garrick) will not feature ANY cheating of ANY kind.
Alright, so this was more of a rant than a review but if you haven't read Truthful Change yet, don't be put off by my comments here. It's a good story and both protags are well fleshed-out. If you hate cheaters, the story is still worth reading and the sex between Karl and The Cheater is hot, even though it's still pretty vanilla despite The Cheater's claim of needing rough sex.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 3, 2014
The prologue confused me. I had to ask myself who is Aiden and Scott because chapter one began with Adam and Karl. When I finally got my answer I was blown away. I like what the authors did there. Usually when books have characters using two names I can get confused at times but I never got confused with Adam and Aiden.
I enjoyed the chemistry between Adam and Karl. The sex was hot and I like it at first. Once Aiden's secret is out of the bag, the sex seems more excessive and not as hot. I really hate when we get an epilogue and it's just another sex scene.
I kept putting this book down a lot. I don't particularly like to feel like the other shoe is going to drop and I got this a lot in the first half of the book. Cheating in books is not a turnoff for me, but I kept asking myself "what about Scott?" I think it was a cop out how the situation with Scott played out.
The plot here wasn't that substantial so I found myself not really caring what happened with Simes. I found myself skimming over those scenes. I did enjoy the chemistry between Aiden and Karl and I liked Karl's characer. He was honest, open, blunt, direct, and a good guy!
I enjoyed the chemistry between Adam and Karl. The sex was hot and I like it at first. Once Aiden's secret is out of the bag, the sex seems more excessive and not as hot. I really hate when we get an epilogue and it's just another sex scene.
I kept putting this book down a lot. I don't particularly like to feel like the other shoe is going to drop and I got this a lot in the first half of the book. Cheating in books is not a turnoff for me, but I kept asking myself "what about Scott?" I think it was a cop out how the situation with Scott played out.
The plot here wasn't that substantial so I found myself not really caring what happened with Simes. I found myself skimming over those scenes. I did enjoy the chemistry between Aiden and Karl and I liked Karl's characer. He was honest, open, blunt, direct, and a good guy!
June 20, 2012
Loved this one. I liked the characters who were really flawed. The story completely engaged me, the sex was a bit forbidden and rough (I like that). I did think Karl ended up being more of a pushover than he comes off but the relationship between the two I enjoyed. I liked the alpha part of Karl and appreciated his honesty - especially as a contrast to Aiden's situation where so much in his life was dishonest at that point.
I didn't have a problem with the cheating due to the fact the relationship was on the skids anyway and it was only a matter of time. No one has to agree with me and I get this as a deal breaker for many but I have more personal reasons to see this situation as not something that would put me off the book. I did wonder why Karl accepted it so readily but not enough to downgrade. YMMV.
I didn't have a problem with the cheating due to the fact the relationship was on the skids anyway and it was only a matter of time. No one has to agree with me and I get this as a deal breaker for many but I have more personal reasons to see this situation as not something that would put me off the book. I did wonder why Karl accepted it so readily but not enough to downgrade. YMMV.
March 14, 2013
3.5 stars
When doing without isn't good enough.
Tame in comparison to later Davitt and Snow works it still has more than a few bells rung. A good exploration of BDSM from the perspective of two alpha males. The story had a tingle of suspense and the resolution was well done.
Caveat: There maybe one plot element that upsets people--infidelity--if any mention or there is no gray area for you than this book won't work, on the other hand if you are sort of individual who sees a spectrum it won't be an issue.
Favorite quote:
"I wanted to take care of you because I thought it was new and maybe scary to you, and when it turned out that what you wanted was that edge, that taste of pain, danger, whatever, I guess I found out it was in me to give."
When doing without isn't good enough.
Tame in comparison to later Davitt and Snow works it still has more than a few bells rung. A good exploration of BDSM from the perspective of two alpha males. The story had a tingle of suspense and the resolution was well done.
Caveat: There maybe one plot element that upsets people--infidelity--if any mention or there is no gray area for you than this book won't work, on the other hand if you are sort of individual who sees a spectrum it won't be an issue.
Favorite quote:
"I wanted to take care of you because I thought it was new and maybe scary to you, and when it turned out that what you wanted was that edge, that taste of pain, danger, whatever, I guess I found out it was in me to give."
June 21, 2012
TAGS: rough, hot sex, military, ex-mercenary, FBI, deception, murder
Oh, oh, this was gooood. The beginning of the story kinda threw me there. Is this about Aiden and his partner? It didn’t match up for me somehow. As I read on, the story changed. I was like, wait, what just happened? Is it two stories? But after reading more, it finally came together. Woo, it got intense.
Early on it was kinda hard for me to read without wincing knowing that Karl was getting’ his chain yanked and being deceived just to get information. Somethin’ about that just made me cringe.
Adam Marshall is a landscaper contracted by the Home Owners Association and tends to Karl Blake’s gardening. It doesn’t take long for Adam to tend to Karl by the pool either. This story should be called The Suduction of Adam.
Aiden works for the FBI. He assumes different identities to do undercover work. He’s gone undercover many times over, but this one is different. Careful hunny, the lines are starting to blur. We also find Aiden in a relationship that is on the fizzled side of the pop. It’s not just work that’s keeping him and his partner from having quality time together. Now keep your lies straight, Aiden. Come on now, you can do this.
Karl Blake, ex mercenary now retired. He once owned a PMC (private military company). Some of those assignments dealt with lots and lots of money, murder, smuggling diamonds. He’s a hardcore, take no shit get the information get the hell out kinda guy. He likes his sex rough-you got one night-hard and fast. He hates dandelions in his yard.
This assignment has Aiden on the trail of the man who took over the PMC from Blake when he was forced to retire. A company now out of control in a bad way under the new owner. It’s up to him to get as much information from Karl as he can.
Both MC’s struggle with some pretty hard emotions. Which was just the right amount angst for me. The sex between them flares and sizzles throughout the story. I like the way the authors described those scenes…front row seats I tell ya! Although this story pressed a few hot buttons (on both sides of the spectrum), it still held my attention. I wanted to see where it wound up…and it ended nicely. Good choice.
Oh, oh, this was gooood. The beginning of the story kinda threw me there. Is this about Aiden and his partner? It didn’t match up for me somehow. As I read on, the story changed. I was like, wait, what just happened? Is it two stories? But after reading more, it finally came together. Woo, it got intense.
Early on it was kinda hard for me to read without wincing knowing that Karl was getting’ his chain yanked and being deceived just to get information. Somethin’ about that just made me cringe.
Adam Marshall is a landscaper contracted by the Home Owners Association and tends to Karl Blake’s gardening. It doesn’t take long for Adam to tend to Karl by the pool either. This story should be called The Suduction of Adam.
Aiden works for the FBI. He assumes different identities to do undercover work. He’s gone undercover many times over, but this one is different. Careful hunny, the lines are starting to blur. We also find Aiden in a relationship that is on the fizzled side of the pop. It’s not just work that’s keeping him and his partner from having quality time together. Now keep your lies straight, Aiden. Come on now, you can do this.
Karl Blake, ex mercenary now retired. He once owned a PMC (private military company). Some of those assignments dealt with lots and lots of money, murder, smuggling diamonds. He’s a hardcore, take no shit get the information get the hell out kinda guy. He likes his sex rough-you got one night-hard and fast. He hates dandelions in his yard.
This assignment has Aiden on the trail of the man who took over the PMC from Blake when he was forced to retire. A company now out of control in a bad way under the new owner. It’s up to him to get as much information from Karl as he can.
Both MC’s struggle with some pretty hard emotions. Which was just the right amount angst for me. The sex between them flares and sizzles throughout the story. I like the way the authors described those scenes…front row seats I tell ya! Although this story pressed a few hot buttons (on both sides of the spectrum), it still held my attention. I wanted to see where it wound up…and it ended nicely. Good choice.
November 15, 2011
I am not very happy with this book and I can't quite figure out why.
One thing that I can say for sure is that I liked the writing. The prologue was a bit stilted, but then the story flowed without problems. The rest? It left me confused and a bit bored.
I couldn't really connect with the characters, I honestly wasn't invested either in their individual well being or in their relationship. Aiden - the undercover agent - was more fleshed out, especially in the beginning, when he had to fake being a virginal, innocent gardener, while he was in fact indulging in his deepest desires and when he was torn between his job and his personal life. When these situations began to unravel, he became oddly carefree regarding a situation that was almost tearing him apart a few pages before. He went to loving his boyfriend to knowing they would split in a short time. The cheating situation, as unpleasant as it may be for some readers, was also handled and resolved in a pretty nonchalant way. I am not sure I wanted the drama, but it gave me the impression Aiden was rather flimsy. Karl, the mercenary, was a bit dull in my opinion, he was very controlled and I think I would have preferred him with a crueler streak.
There was a lot of sex, so I found I was more interested in the scenes where the main characters were denying themselves. The second part of the book had more action, but again the mess was resolved quickly and easily, with very little suspense. I think this story had a potential bite, but it ended up with a graze. I enjoyed Bound and Determined by the same author much more.
One thing that I can say for sure is that I liked the writing. The prologue was a bit stilted, but then the story flowed without problems. The rest? It left me confused and a bit bored.
I couldn't really connect with the characters, I honestly wasn't invested either in their individual well being or in their relationship. Aiden - the undercover agent - was more fleshed out, especially in the beginning, when he had to fake being a virginal, innocent gardener, while he was in fact indulging in his deepest desires and when he was torn between his job and his personal life. When these situations began to unravel, he became oddly carefree regarding a situation that was almost tearing him apart a few pages before. He went to loving his boyfriend to knowing they would split in a short time. The cheating situation, as unpleasant as it may be for some readers, was also handled and resolved in a pretty nonchalant way. I am not sure I wanted the drama, but it gave me the impression Aiden was rather flimsy. Karl, the mercenary, was a bit dull in my opinion, he was very controlled and I think I would have preferred him with a crueler streak.
There was a lot of sex, so I found I was more interested in the scenes where the main characters were denying themselves. The second part of the book had more action, but again the mess was resolved quickly and easily, with very little suspense. I think this story had a potential bite, but it ended up with a graze. I enjoyed Bound and Determined by the same author much more.
March 21, 2011
This story is very well written and paced nicely. The book takes place in Texas, mainly at the two homes of the main characters. However, there is plenty of drama, twists/turns and hidden agendas, with surprising action at the end. Although one of the main characters is a retired mercenary, don’t expect a lot of violence throughout, it’s more of a love story and two people learning to work through betrayal, new emotions and love.
The sex at times seems a bit gratuitous, but it’s definitely hot (and very tame). For the first time for both of the main characters, sex is more than sex – and you can feel their connection – in a glance, or in the middle of a sex scene. M/M, very vanilla – unless you count a little biting!
Overall, this is a great, quick read. You’ll instantly like the characters, even if you think you should have some reservations about them (i.e., ex-mercenary). It’s a very easy read for those just looking for some heat with a bit of mystery and agent action.
Out of four…
Overall Read: ♥♥♥♥
Sex Heat: ♥♥
Plot: ♥♥♥
Read this if you like… quick M/M action, two hot potentially dangerous guys falling in love.
The sex at times seems a bit gratuitous, but it’s definitely hot (and very tame). For the first time for both of the main characters, sex is more than sex – and you can feel their connection – in a glance, or in the middle of a sex scene. M/M, very vanilla – unless you count a little biting!
Overall, this is a great, quick read. You’ll instantly like the characters, even if you think you should have some reservations about them (i.e., ex-mercenary). It’s a very easy read for those just looking for some heat with a bit of mystery and agent action.
Out of four…
Overall Read: ♥♥♥♥
Sex Heat: ♥♥
Plot: ♥♥♥
Read this if you like… quick M/M action, two hot potentially dangerous guys falling in love.
September 30, 2012
3.5 Stars
This story started out a bit confusing because the two guys in the prologue were not the same guys in the beginning of the story. That was just a slight bump since around 15% the plot thickened and all was revealed…and made sense. I was hooked then and liked where it was going. I really enjoyed this a lot until about 55-60%, but then I kind of lost interest and wasn’t able to get it completely back. Karl was an ass, a complete alpha ass but I liked him that way and it fit his character. What I didn’t like was him turning into a marshmallow. He had some sparks of his arrogance but in general, where Adam was concerned, his personality made a change that I couldn’t adjust to because they were, as a couple, still new and it happened too fast. I guessed immediately about Scott so there was no angst or worry about what Aiden was doing. So in closing, I liked it a lot in the beginning but not so much at the end. I did want to hurl a fist full of dirt into Karl’s face over the dandelions though.
This story started out a bit confusing because the two guys in the prologue were not the same guys in the beginning of the story. That was just a slight bump since around 15% the plot thickened and all was revealed…and made sense. I was hooked then and liked where it was going. I really enjoyed this a lot until about 55-60%, but then I kind of lost interest and wasn’t able to get it completely back. Karl was an ass, a complete alpha ass but I liked him that way and it fit his character. What I didn’t like was him turning into a marshmallow. He had some sparks of his arrogance but in general, where Adam was concerned, his personality made a change that I couldn’t adjust to because they were, as a couple, still new and it happened too fast. I guessed immediately about Scott so there was no angst or worry about what Aiden was doing. So in closing, I liked it a lot in the beginning but not so much at the end. I did want to hurl a fist full of dirt into Karl’s face over the dandelions though.
October 2, 2012
When this book started, I was very confused and even thought my copy was screwed up. The prologue is about Scott and Adam, but the story starts with Karl and Aiden. It didn't take long for things to clear up though, and then it was smooth sailing, if you don't count the actual cheating going on.
I actually really liked no-nonsense Karl. The sex between he and Aiden was super hot with plenty of steamy dirty talk. One of my favorite scenes is where Karl gets Aiden off just by talking to him.
The story plays out, never really rushes along at any point. I know others found the last part to be a little slow, but I enjoyed the pacing and was happy with the way things ended.
I actually really liked no-nonsense Karl. The sex between he and Aiden was super hot with plenty of steamy dirty talk. One of my favorite scenes is where Karl gets Aiden off just by talking to him.
The story plays out, never really rushes along at any point. I know others found the last part to be a little slow, but I enjoyed the pacing and was happy with the way things ended.
November 8, 2012
I will have to concur that the first part of the book confused me and I actually went back to the beginning to see if I missed something. That said, I loved this book. I would give a little more that 4 stars actually. I did feel their chemistry throughout the entire book. I loved the rough, gruff Karl and the pain slut Aiden. The sex was super hot and the dirty talking, well, dayum! Anytime a book has a hands-free orgasm with just dirty talk in it, that's an extra star just for fan-inducing hotness. I would recommend this book for that alone!
February 13, 2016
Aiden is working undercover, at the home of a suspect trying to get information.
Karl is an ex mercenary.
The beginning of the book was a little confusing but it did come together.
I wasn't sure about Aiden in the beginning as he seemed to believe that it was ok to cheat in the course of his undercover work and that Karl took it wuite well when Aiden's undercover operation was exposed.
All in all an onteresting read.
Karl is an ex mercenary.
The beginning of the book was a little confusing but it did come together.
I wasn't sure about Aiden in the beginning as he seemed to believe that it was ok to cheat in the course of his undercover work and that Karl took it wuite well when Aiden's undercover operation was exposed.
All in all an onteresting read.
November 18, 2010
Very good kinky m/m romance about a retired mercenary who becomes fascinated by his seemingly innocent gardener...
not-for-me
June 20, 2011don't like cheaters
August 28, 2019
Very enjoyable!
Freebie at: https://archiveofourown.org/works/164...
Freebie at: https://archiveofourown.org/works/164...
November 15, 2013
4.5 stars--Another winner from Ms. Davitt. I read Bound and Determined earlier this week and enjoyed it so much I needed to read more from this author.
While Bound and Determined remains my favorite, this one did not disappoint. I will admit, however, that I was thoroughly confused at the very beginning. I felt like I was reading two separate books. Of course, had I read the description first, that wouldn't have been the case. A quick look at Goodreads and all was fine. In addition, there were some slow spots in the first 20% or so, but after that I was completely hooked until the end.
This story included a lot of heated moments and a good bit of angst. I love it when your badass, don't do relationships, never gonna fall in love guy gets the wind knocked out of him, and there's no denying the appeal of one MC hiding the truth from the other and the sense of betrayal that brings to the one and the guilt it inflicts on the other. I loved it all!!
Hmm, think I'll have to go find another book by Davitt! She really hits the mark for this reader!
While Bound and Determined remains my favorite, this one did not disappoint. I will admit, however, that I was thoroughly confused at the very beginning. I felt like I was reading two separate books. Of course, had I read the description first, that wouldn't have been the case. A quick look at Goodreads and all was fine. In addition, there were some slow spots in the first 20% or so, but after that I was completely hooked until the end.
This story included a lot of heated moments and a good bit of angst. I love it when your badass, don't do relationships, never gonna fall in love guy gets the wind knocked out of him, and there's no denying the appeal of one MC hiding the truth from the other and the sense of betrayal that brings to the one and the guilt it inflicts on the other. I loved it all!!
Hmm, think I'll have to go find another book by Davitt! She really hits the mark for this reader!
July 14, 2012
Right at this moment, as I've literally just finished this book, I'm feeling emotionally wrecked. This book was so fantastically amazing and I absolutely loved the intense connection that was made between the main characters almost right away but that took so long to simmer into what was essentially the fireworks of the plot.
The tenderness that Karl showed to Aiden while being so rough with him was absolutely beautiful to witness and by the end of the book, I felt like I just *knew* these boys. They went through so much to get to the point where they were okay and it was great to see the way the book ended.
I've added this book to my top 10 favorite M/M books shelf and it was absolutely worth every moment. I've become a huge fan of the collaborations between Jane and Alexa between this book and Bound and Determined... I think I'm going to work my way through all the books I can get my hands on!
The tenderness that Karl showed to Aiden while being so rough with him was absolutely beautiful to witness and by the end of the book, I felt like I just *knew* these boys. They went through so much to get to the point where they were okay and it was great to see the way the book ended.
I've added this book to my top 10 favorite M/M books shelf and it was absolutely worth every moment. I've become a huge fan of the collaborations between Jane and Alexa between this book and Bound and Determined... I think I'm going to work my way through all the books I can get my hands on!
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